Mayor Tadena ‘graduates’ with ‘high honors’

Mayor Amado “Lito” Tadena of this town said he is bowing out of politics
for good, leaving the town as a grandslam awardee of the coveted Seal of Good
Local Government (SGLG), the penultimate award in all aspects of good
governance to his brother-successor, incoming Mayor Butch Tadena who is
unchallenged this May 13.

In an exclusive interview with the Ilocos Sur Integrated Press through
its Kapihan Iti Amianan TV program over the weekened, Tadena said he is leaving
politics for good but he can still offer himself as a “consultant” to the
incoming mayor.

Now confined to his wheelchair due to a spinal ailment, he said he will
be relinquishing a performing administration coupled with an efficient
Sangguniang Bayan “who already know what to do” when he will be gone.

“Ammodan ti ar-aramidenda. They
are already well-trained to continue the job. Mine was a serious leadership to
raise the people’s quality of living. I saw to it that everything would be
going up together – health, education, peace and order, infrastructure projects
and economic activities because every 3 years we would evaluate what we have
done. Service of excellence is already a way of life here. It is because all
the money that we receive are not our money. They belong to the people,” he
said.

He said he wanted to be remembered as the mayor who did well by
visualizing what will become of Sto. Domingo in the near future through a
master plan.

“Among those in our master plan is the development of the seashore from
Barangay Calay-ab to Casili, one of the longest seashores in the province. We will be developing the coastal roads some
300-500 away from the seashore so as to have an ample tourist area for hotels
and other establishments. These things will be continued by my successor,” he
said.

He admitted, however, that the town already needs a new public market
site as the current market has become too small for its booming economy and
it’s high time to look for an ample area to purchase.

Tadena’s 9-year administration is considered by many as the “golden age”
of Sto. Domingo as it is marked by the emergence of hotels, restaurants, malls,
a farmer’s center, many gasoline stations, motor shops, banks and ATM outlets
considering its proximity to Vigan City. Its public market is one of the
busiest in the province, a “melting pot” of people and towns.

Prior to becoming the town’s mayor, Tadena was the president and CEO of
a multinational pharmaceutical company and was awarded as an International
Filipino of the Year for outstanding achievement in his field.